On Monday, March 11, the Malibu City Council will meet to discuss several important issues regarding safety on Pacific Coast Highway.

Senate Bill 1509 – NOT in California Act (Stern)

On October 17, 2023, four Pepperdine University students were killed and two others injured by a speeding driver while walking along a stretch of Pacific Coast Highway.

The Malibu City Council then declared a local emergency on November 13, 2023, to address the risks to public safety of dangerous, illegal, reckless, and/or distracted driving on Pacific Coast Highway in the city. The action was in response to the increasingly hazardous conditions on PCH in city limits in recent years.

California has seen an increase in the number of speed-related collisions that result in death and or serious injury. California ranked second in the nation for most speeding-related traffic fatalities in both 2020 and 2021.

City council will vote Monday on whether to authorize the mayor to send a letter of support for Senate Bill 1509 – the “NOT in California Act”, proposed by Malibu’s own State Senator Henry Stern, which would amend existing traffic laws to designate convictions of driving 26 miles per hour (MPH) or greater over the posted speed-limit a two-point violation.

Driving 1-15 mph over the speed limit results in a $238 ticket under the uniform bail and penalty schedule. Driving 16-25 mph over the speed limit results in a $367 ticket. Driving 26 mph over the speed limit would result in a $490 ticket.

While speeding fines are gradual, points are not. All of the violations above are 1-point violations unless the driver hits or exceeds 100 mph. The proposed legislation would amend existing law under the California vehicle code to include the following language: make convictions of driving 26 MPH or greater over the posted speed limit a two-point violation.

Pacific Coast Highway Safety Projects Report

Also on Monday, the city council will receive a presentation on the Analysis of Proposed Traffic Calming Measures and provide direction to staff to explore and implement certain measures within the city’s jurisdictional authority.

On January 17, 2024, the city council directed staff to conduct a review of traffic calming measures as proposed by Councilmember Silverstein and Mayor Uhring on January 8, 2024.

It has been determined that certain measures would require additional studies to be conducted under the standards defined in the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.

On November 8, 2023, during the Special Meeting of the PCH Taskforce, the city identified several key initiatives and projects that posed an opportunity for collaboration with Caltrans, and State and Local officials to improve safety along the state highway. Those areas included a Safety Corridor Designation, considerations for a Re-Design of PCH, Permanent Increase to Enforcement, Initiation of Special Legislation, Investment in Speed and Traffic Data Collection Technology, and a re-prioritization of the 2015 PCH Safety Plan.

On December 18, 2023, California Secretary of Transportation Toks Omishakin joined Mayor Steve Uhring, Mayor Pro Tem Doug Stewart, City Manager Steve McClary, and officials from Caltrans, California Highway Patrol, and the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department for a tour of Malibu’s 21 miles of PCH. Caltrans traffic safety engineers led them on a bus tour of a large section of PCH for a comprehensive assessment of safety conditions on the highway.

On January 8, 2024, during a regular meeting of the city council, Councilmember Bruce Silverstein proposed several traffic calming measures for the council’s consideration in response to the declaration of emergency previously proclaimed.

The report will provide an update on the ongoing efforts and recent developments concerning PCH initiatives, outlining the progress made and challenges encountered.

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